Public Service Broadcasters in the United Kingdom Thesis Proposal

Public Service Broadcasters in the United Kingdom - Thesis Proposal Example The outcome of the research paper will reveal the requirement for both political independence and political accountability of public service broadcasters in the U.K., the part played by regulators in ensuring these partially conflicting aims, and whether they have been able to achieve their objectives. A comparative perspective will be provided by comparing and contrasting the U.K. experience with that of another country. There are over ten statutory and self-regulatory bodies for media and communications in the UK (Collins and Murroni 1996). To support policy making with specific aims and techniques, meaningful rationales for regulatory interventions have to be determined (Harcourt 2005). There is a requirement for content regulation by Ofcom’s â€Å"Content Board† established by the 2003 Act (Open Society Institute 2009), and for economic regulation of public service broadcasting because of technological The main goal of public broadcasting is to engage viewers and listeners in a dialogue about public life. General characterization of the audiences (Freedman 2008), and a need for Independent of government or vested interests, public broadcasting aims to develop the concept of a shared public life correlating with national or regional communities. Broadcasters committed to quality and creativity contribute to social healing and provide information as well as enjoyment. A profoundly democratic phenomenon through which public opinion is expressed and established (Tracey 1998). Hutchison (1999) emphasizes the function of media policy towards maintaining broadcasting freedom, democracy, the enlightenment of the public, as well protecting the state, the citizen and the society. Various critiques about public service broadcasting include the fact that because of independent television, the BBC is unable to get the audience it requires to justify its license fee monopoly (Franklin 2001).